The Hope and Glory of Our Life
by coffeeinanebula
Summary: Although I knew that we had lost/The hope and glory of our life;/And now, benighted, tempest-tossed,/Must bear alone the weary strife. -"On the Death of Anne Brontë" by Charlotte Brontë


Light blinded her, even through her closed eyes, and she felt the warmth that was just a little too warm on her skin. The warmth contrasted with the cool fabric beneath her; it all felt too real, the sensations stronger than usual.

"Madam President?" The voice broke through her thoughts, but she couldn't open her eyes to find the source. "Madam President?" After a moment of struggling, her eyes fluttered open. After the blinding light faded to a normal amount, she pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around.

She let out a soft breath and took in the beautiful meadow surrounding her. Flowers of all colors dotted the green hills and an occasional large tree provided shaded areas. Despite herself and the lingering cloud of confusion over her mind, Laura felt a smile lift her lips as a light wind blew her hair back from her face.

"Laura." She finally turned to face the speaker and her smile widened at who she saw.

"Billy," she whispered, immediately rising to her feet. He quickly stepped forward and took her hand to help balance her. "Billy, is it you?"

A small smile crossed his lips and he nodded as she gave his hand a firm squeeze. "Yeah," he answered after a moment. "I thought I would see you here a lot sooner, Madam President."

She shook her head immediately. "It's just Laura now," she told him softly. She watched him and then pulled him into a hug.

His arms wrapped around her and they held each other close, her eyes falling shut against the warm sun. It took several moments before he stepped back and smiled down at her.

"It's a long story..." She folded her hands in front of her and looked down, surprised to see a gold band resting on her finger. A sad smile flitted across her features as she looked up to Billy. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He stopped and watched her, his brow furrowing briefly.

"What is it?" She fiddled with the ring on her finger, struggling to keep her thoughts away from Bill.

"What happened?" He finally asked. "With the Fleet? The Cylons?"

She shook her head and looked around; the wind had picked up but still felt like a gentle breeze across her skin, fluttering her hair and the fabric of her clothes. "That's the long story." She took a deep breath. "But I suppose we have the time for it."

He nodded and started toward the closest hill, his pace slow and easy to keep up with. He stopped just before they reached the top and she couldn't see over it.

"Madam-Laura, I know you left a lot behind..."

She held up her hand to stop him. "I'd rather not talk about that right now." Just the thought of it, the feeling of the ring on her finger, left an ache in her chest that seemed to have replaced the cancer.

"I understand. It takes time to adjust."

She looked up at him, at the young man she had so relied on and had come to look at as a son. "You've changed," she murmured. "You seem... so much older."

"It's been a few years and things just work differently up here." He shrugged and Laura felt like she was lost.

She pulled him into another hug, holding tightly to him to ground herself. He returned the hug and held her to him, his head resting against hers.

"It's okay, Laura," he said softly. "Look, there's some people you should see. Please?"

She looked up and wiped at her eyes, managing a small nod. "O-of course."

He smiled reassuringly and she looped her arm through his, allowing herself to lean on him slightly as they walked over the hill.

A small village rested in the valley, bright colors mixing together in fabric tents and people.

"What is this?" She breathed out, her eyes unable to stay still for long.

"It's not everyone," he told her. "It seems to just be people from the Fleet with a few exceptions. We're not sure why." He gave the hand on his arm a gentle squeeze as they walked down the hill.

They reached the outskirts of the little village, Laura's eyes still darting from tent to tent. She could pick out crew from Galactica, people she recognized but couldn't name. Several stopped and stared, smiled, and even a few waved. She continued following Billy until they reached a blue tent near the center of the village. He turned and pointed to a green tent a few steps down the makeshift road.

"I'll be in there if you need me." He smiled and hugged her quickly again. "But I know you'll be fine."

"Thank you," she murmured, unsure of what waited inside the tent.

She watched Billy walk away before she stepped into the tent, giving her eyes a moment to adjust.

"Laura? Oh my gods, Laura!" The voice was unmistakable and Laura stepped further into the tent before she was assaulted and two thin arms tightly wrapped around her.

She immediately hugged them back, her fingers tangling in the fabric of her sister's dress. "Cheryl," she breathed, her arms tightening as she held her closer.

Her breath hitched and she felt Cheryl's tears dampen her shirt. Laura swayed gently and held her sister until the squealing of a child broke them apart.

"Matthew!" Cheryl smiled and knelt down as a small boy ran into the tent, quickly followed by a young woman.

"Auntie Cheryl!" The boy giggled and hugged her as his mother came to a dead stop.

"Laura."

Laura turned and smiled at her youngest sister and the boy that was undeniably her son. "Sandra..."

They stepped forward and hugged, Laura's arms protectively holding her baby sister to her chest. The last time they had hugged was too long ago, and Laura found that the contact lessened the ache in her chest.

"Y-You're here. What happened?" Sandra asked, her eyes taking her elder sister in.

"Not now," she responded. "Now, I just want to be grateful I have you back."

"Including my son, Matthew." The boy moved to his mother's side and she wrapped an arm around him; he smiled up at Laura. "This is your other aunt, Laura."

"Aunt Laura?" Matthew repeated and Laura smiled widely.

"Hi, Matthew. It's nice to finally meet you." Dozens of questions filled Laura's mind, but she could only focus on being with her family again. It was happiness she had only rediscovered with Bill and she was relieved it wasn't lost.

"Please, sit down. You have some years to catch us up on." Cheryl smiled and gestured to a couch on the other side of the tent.

"And by the looks of that ring, there's a lot of it," Sandra added with a knowing grin.

Laura could only laugh as she followed her sisters, her eyes lighting up with her smile and laughter. In the back of her mind, she thought of Bill back on Earth with his son and Kara, but she felt a sense of calm with the realization that he would arrive sooner or later.

"Start talking," Cheryl laughed, nudging her older sister.

"You won't believe any of it," Laura warned.

"Try us. We've seen a lot." Sandra settled into the couch beside her and Laura fought against the deja vu as she started talking.


End file.
